Reports suggested that in "retaliation" for Jobs turning down an offer to speak at the Labour party political conference the year before, the award was turned down by the then-prime minister.

Ive studied at Northumbria Polytechnic -- now Northumbria University -- where he read industrial design. He then went to work for a design agency, where Apple as one of the clients, was so impressed that the company hired him.

Shortly after Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1995, Ive became the head of Apple's design team a year later. He went on to transform the company in his own way by creating and designing next-generation products, which would go on to pave the way for the 'Apple 2.0' that we know today.

Jobs described Ive as his "spiritual partner" in the recent biography of the Apple co-founder, written by Walter Isaacson. Ive was reportedly "hurt" by Jobs taking the credit for some of his work that came from both himself and his team.

Ive can be credited with the design of many Apple products, such as the MacBook Pro, the iPhone and the iPad, along with many others.

Ive's knighthood will be "conferred by the touch of a sword by Her Majesty the Queen" in early 2012, where the title will be formally bestowed upon him.